


parts of you burning

by helloearthlings



Series: KFAM Dialogue Prompts [9]
Category: King Falls AM (Podcast)
Genre: During Canon, F/F, Female-Centric, First Meetings, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 23:29:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16147805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helloearthlings/pseuds/helloearthlings
Summary: Emily’s house is small but cozy, dressed in blue and white pastel prints. Emily leads her down the narrow and hall and into a small kitchen, where there are two other women Lily vaguely recognizes sitting at the table.The dark-haired, shorter one she knows is Maggie Masterson - she’s stuck watching Channel Thirteen most nights at her hotel room. It’s either that or King Falls AM. The tall redhead across from her must be FBI Agent Reagan Spears. Lily’s heard her name tossed around by more than one townsperson, but hasn’t met her in person.At least Lily’s not the only outsider in King Falls.





	parts of you burning

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the absence! I meant to post all of these consecutively but the place I was staying at didn't have working wifi. Which was super annoying and meant that posting wasn't an option. But I'm back now, and will continue to post the rest of these each day! There's five more after this one, so the last one should come out on Friday.
> 
> Raven wanted me to join her in Lily/Reagan but no one can do it quite like she can, so go read QuietLittleVoices' Reagan fic because it does this pairing justice. Mine is just a first meeting. Hope you like it!!

Lily drops the audio files off at Emily Potter’s house.

She doesn’t want to think about how Emily got her contact info -  _ fuck off, Wright, you know you gave your card to everyone in town, it doesn’t mean she got it from him _ \- but she understands why the former abductee wants her files, and honestly, Lily’s willing to give them to her.

She’d been listening to the show that night, the night Emily and her two friends busted up the disgusting man cult on the outskirts of town. It had made her feel a little better, knowing there were people out there willing to get their hands dirty to get this story. 

It had taken Lily awhile to clear out her voicemail, but when she finally did, she realized that Emily had been trying to call her for the last couple of months to see if she was willing to part with the unedited audio files of Lily’s abduction by the town’s Dumb, Dumber, and Dumbest. 

If it had been Ben Arnold, Lily would’ve said no. But she can’t help but have a little respect for Emily and the work that she’s trying to do.

So Lily awkwardly goes up to the duplex that Emily texted her the address of, and rings the bell. 

Emily’s at the door a second later. This is the first time she’s met Emily in person, though she’s heard plenty about her and her abduction and subsequent return from the townsfolk. Apparently she and Ben Arnold are locked in a ridiculously tragic, unconsummated love affair. 

Whatever. 

“Hey, Lily,” Emily says, smiling at her slightly. Lily knows that Emily and Sammy are friends, and maybe that’s why there’s a little apprehension in her voice too. “Sorry for making you drive all the way here, but I didn’t want anything important being intercepted.”

“Good plan,” Lily nods, handing her the flashdrive she’d put the file on. “Let me know if you have any issues with downloading it.”

“Thanks,” Emily says, taking it gingerly from her. “I just think it might be important - I mean, they  _ invited  _ you to join. They wouldn’t just do that to just any woman.”

“That’s how men like that deal with powerful women,” Lily says with a shrug of her shoulders. She’s dealt with enough terrible men in her life to know how they think. “They try to make an exception for us - as long as they’re the ones with all the real power.”

Emily shakes her head sadly. “Well, thank you for stopping by. Do you want to come in? Maggie and Reagan are here, actually. I’m sure Maggie especially would love to meet you.”

Lily hesitates. She doesn’t necessarily  _ want  _ to meet any new people, but she does feel like she owes these women something. 

“Sure,” Lily allows, and Emily smiles softly, stepping aside. 

Emily’s house is small but cozy, dressed in blue and white pastel prints. Emily leads her down the narrow and hall and into a small kitchen, where there are two other women Lily vaguely recognizes sitting at the table.

The dark-haired, shorter one she knows is Maggie Masterson - she’s stuck watching Channel Thirteen most nights at her hotel room. It’s either that or King Falls AM. The tall redhead across from her must be FBI Agent Reagan Spears. Lily’s heard her name tossed around by more than one townsperson, but hasn’t met her in person.

At least Lily’s not the only outsider in King Falls.

“Hey guys, I got the full audio file,” Emily says cheerfully as they enter, and the two other women look up. “This is Lily Wright, if you haven’t met her yet.”

“Such a big fan, Ms. Wright,” Maggie springs up immediately, reaching to shake Lily’s hand. “Your reporting is spectacular. Your series on the war in Aleppo is really incredible work.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it,” Lily says, her professional voice taking over. “I’ve seen your broadcast more than once, you put on a good show. Your partner on the other hand….”

Maggie makes disgusting noise in the back of her throat. “Burt. Yeah. We’re...working on that.”

“We don’t have any other leads on future meetings...yet,” Emily pipes up from behind Lily. “But we’re trying to work on our contacts - we think maybe Pete Meyers would give away info about his boss.”

“Beauregard?” Lily clarifies and Emily nods. “He’ll be the easiest of the three to get info on. He likes to brag. So does Grisham. Gunderson will be the hardest to pin down.”

“Do you have any other insights?” Emily asks, curiosity clear in her voice. “I mean, we’re at a bit of a loss right now, and Reagan is so busy what with - what with Ernie’s trial going on.”

“The man who was caught?” Lily clicks her tongue. “Unfortunately for all of you, I think he’s going to be cleared.”

“What?” Reagan Spears speaks for the first time, and Lily takes note of her hunched shoulders defense look in her eye, and how fucking tired she sounds. “Why would you say that?”

“I’ve seen cases like this play out before,” Lily says slowly. “In many different places. But this man - Ernie - his friends are going to protect him. I think this network of - what’s the word you’re using?”

“Himinits,” Emily supplies immediately and Lily nods.

“Right, Himinisits,” she says. “The network is larger than you think. There will be people in the courts. And even if they’re not Gunderson’s men now, I’m sure he can think of the right bribe to  _ make  _ them his men.”

Maggie and Emily both grimace, but it’s Reagan who snaps up at her. “You don’t know that. The law will uphold -”

“Law doesn’t matter when it comes to shit like this,” Lily says, matter of fact. “Privilege does. And Ernie will have all of it.”

She realizes a second too late that Reagan’s got tears in her eyes, and Emily rushes over to put a comforting arm around Reagan’s shoulder that she leans into. 

“I guess...I guess you might be right,” Reagan says slowly, wiping at her eyes. “I just - I’ve always believed in the sanctity of the law, and the courts, and justice being upheld. I can’t even imagine that he’ll just  _ get away  _ with it all.”

“Start imagining,” Lily tells her, and it’s blunt but she thinks the agent probably needs to hear this if she’s gonna keep functioning. She can’t be surprised by this when it comes. “Men like that get away with shit. It’s what they do. Nothing you do can change that.”

Reagan frowns at her, a hard look in her eye. “Not always. There’s still people who want to do the right thing -”

“And they’re pretty few and far between,” Lily finishes for her, and a picture of her brother pops up in her mind that she stows away immediately. “Word of advice, Agent Spears? You need to grow up and realize that if you want to get shit done in this world, you have to do it yourself. The law isn’t going to do it for. Get over - whatever  _ this  _ is, and do something about it.”

Reagan’s eyes flash at her. “You know, you’re a good journalist. But Sammy’s right. You really don’t give a shit about anyone but yourself.”

“Oh, don’t say -” Emily starts, but Lily cuts her off with a cold laugh.

“He said that about me?” Lily says. “Well, I’ll let you all in on a little secret - I know you think Sammy’s your friend, and a good guy, but he’s far fucking from it. That miserable excuse for a man has done more damage than you could  _ ever  _ understand.” 

“Lily, I like and respect you, but please don’t say that either,” Emily says, trading a worried look with Maggie, who has wide eyes. “Both of you just need to cool down. We’re all on the same side here.”

“I listen to your show,” Reagan tells Lily. “I thought maybe the cold and icy professional was just an act. But you really don’t care about anyone’s feelings at all, do you? Ernie  _ hurt  _ me more than a woman like you could ever understand. Just because you’re tough as nails doesn’t mean we all are.”

“Newsflash,  _ literal stranger _ ,” Lily can’t help herself from biting. “I’m  _ not  _ tough as nails, and surprise, I  _ do  _ have feelings. And you just hurt them. Coming here was a mistake. Let me know if there’s any problem with the audio, Emily. Otherwise, I’m leaving.”

She stalks out of the house, head held high.

She wishes people would stop making assumptions about her. She also knows perfectly well that she doesn’t do anything to suggest that she’s anything different than how she portrays herself.

She doesn’t walk back to her car right away, instead fumbling in her purse for a cigarette. 

_ Stop it with the cancer sticks _ , Jack’s voice says in her ear.  _ I only want to outlive you by ten years, not twenty. _

“Well, you’re dead,” Lily mutters out loud into the frigid January evening as she lights her cigarette. “Why should you get a say?”

“Lily?” 

Lily clenches her jaw, turning around to find Reagan standing on the front step of Emily’s house, pulling a brown and white cardigan around her shoulders that looks like it’s probably one of Emily’s.

“I came out to apologize,” Reagan says, her eyes concerned on Lily, and Lily wishes she could just stop. “Are...are you okay?”

“Peachy,” Lily takes an angry drag from the cigarette. “Got any more insults for me, Agent Spears?”

“No,” Reagan says slowly. “Like I said. An apology, Ms. Wright. I didn’t mean to offend you, I - it’s been a rough few months for me.”

“Makes two of us,” Lily says back bitingly, and thinks about turning to storm away, but decides not to quite yet. Reagan’s looking guilty, at the very least, and Lily likes making people feel badly about themselves when she’s in her own self-hating spiral.

Fuck. What the hell does that say about her?

“Anthony -  _ Ernie  _ \- was my boyfriend,” Reagan says slowly, pursing her lips together. “He tricked me into - into loving him, so he could use it against me later.”

Lily resists the urge to turn away once more. Lily doesn’t have much sympathy for, well, anyone, but almost all of her exceptions to the rule are women who are hurting.

“I’m sorry,” Lily tells her, and means it. “I didn’t realize. I - I know I’m a bitch. It’s who I am. Try not to take it personally.”

“Well, I’m not a bitch, but I was one in there,” Reagan says, lips turning upward in a half-smile, half-grimace. “So I’m sorry, too.”

“No harm done,” Lily says, and finally feels like she can turn to leave, but Reagan talks again.

“If you want to come back sometime and help us out,” Reagan says, not quite looking at Lily. “Research, journalism, whatever - about the Himinists - we could really use the help.”

“Maybe I’ll do that,” Lily allows, knowing that she probably won’t, but being grateful for the invite all the same. Since her podcast has gone off the air, she doesn’t quite feel like she’s a part of something right now. “Tell Emily and Maggie that I’ll - I’ll be in touch.”

Reagan nods, half-turning to go back inside before saying “Wait. Who - who were you talking to, before? When I came out here?”

Lily can’t answer that question to anyone’s face. She finishes her cigarette, and starts walking toward her car.

Over her shoulder, she says “Nobody. Just a ghost. I hear there’s a lot of them in this town.”


End file.
